Among the many popular sports in the world, one of them is rugby. People used to think “Rugby is a game of power” and “Rugby is not a game for women”, but these amazing women have proven all the right decisions. That opinion is wrong. Today’s article rugbyqa would like to introduce to you the top 11 best female rugby players of all time.
Top 11 best female rugby players
Portia Woodman
Portia Woodman is seen as the future of women’s rugby. She is one of the best players in the world right now regardless of gender. With 157 games in his career, Woodman scored a total of 975 points. In 2015, her efforts were recognized by the international rugby community when she won the Sevens Rugby Player of the Year award. Woodman’s career flourished as she was the top scorer for rugby in the 2012-13 season, 2014-15, and the following season, 2015-2016. In 2017, Woodman took home the Women’s Player of the Year award, the highest award a rugby player can achieve.
Emily Scarratt
Scarratt is one of the female rugby players for the British Rugby League. She plays central defender or full-back for Lichfield and for England. She is also a qualified teacher. Emily first played for England in 2008, scoring 12 tries in 12 games, and was compared to Brian O’Driscoll. In 2014, Scarratt proved herself to be an invaluable player for the England women’s team, scoring 16 points in the Rugby World Cup final to help England beat Canada to the title.
Additionally, Scarratt finished the tournament as the top scorer with 70 points, well ahead of the likes of Magali Harvey and Kelly Brazier. She is an all-rounder with a versatile ability to score with her feet and can go around defenders. Perhaps Emily Scaratt’s only downside is that she happens to be playing at the same time as Portia Woodman. If they played in different eras, chances are Scarratt would be the best player in the world. In 2019, Scarratt was named women’s rugby player of the year for her efforts in the process of being England’s star.
Charlotte Caslick
At just 24 years old, Caslick is one of the most prominent and dominating female rugby players in the world. She really stood out on the field when rolling in every position on the field, making unbelievable runs to score goals or passing diagonal passes to teammates. Caslick seems to be faster, stronger, and more talented than the other 13 players on the pitch. In 2016, Caslick came out of his shell with his teammates defeating neighbor New Zealand in the final.
Since then, her name has entered every conversation for the strongest rugby player in the world. Two years later, in 2018, Caslick and his team once again defeated New Zealand with an absolute score of 36-0. For all her efforts, she won the Shawn Mackay Women’s Team Player of the Year award.
Anna Richards
In the list of talented female rugby players, the name Anna Richards cannot be ignored. Richards got her start in rugby while she was studying at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. From there, she played in the Aukland Storm – a pretty strong team in the region. From 1994 to 2005 was 11 years unbeaten for Aukland Storm when winning countless titles and dominating the current women’s rugby world. In 2014, Richards was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame and continues to coach to this day.
Carol Isherwood
Did you know, that Emily Valentine is credited as the first woman to officially play rugby? However, it is Carol Isherwood who has had the biggest influence on women’s rugby in general and has contributed to promoting this sport to the international market. While attending the University of Leeds, she formed a rugby team with her friends. Since then, she has been a leader when it comes to rugby.
Later, Carol Isherwood became a founding member of the Women’s Rugby League. Isherwood was also the captain of the women’s rugby team in England before ending his career less than 10 years due to injury. From there she became a coach, supporting England at the 1994 World Cup. In 2013, Isherwood was inducted into the Rugby Hall of Fame.
Kendra Cocksedge
Cock is a female football player. She played for the New Zealand women’s national team, Black Ferns, and for the province of Canterbury. She was a member of the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup winning team and is also a Cricket representative. In 2014, she earned her place in the squad for the women’s rugby world championship. In 2015, she was the player with the most points with 26 points at the 2015 Super Series women’s rugby tournament. She received the New Zealand Women’s Player of the Year award at the end of 2015.
Ana Poghosyan
“Rugby is a game of power” and “Rugby is not a game suitable for women”; These stereotypes are prevalent in Georgia, dividing sports into two categories: feminine sports and masculine sports. Although rugby is very popular in Georgia and Georgian football players have a lot of fans, women’s rugby is less developed, and very few people know of any Georgian female players. Ana Poghosian is the captain of the Georgia women’s national team. She has been honored to receive this award for two consecutive years as a leader and inspirer.
Cheryl Soon
Cheryl Soon is a former player of the women’s rugby union. She was also a member of the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup team which finished in third place. Besides, Cheryl was also the captain of the Wallaroos team when it came to the 2009 Women’s Rugby World Cup. Australia then finally won the world cup.
Magali Harvey
Harvey is also one of the most famous female rugby players in the world. She represented Canada at the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup. She was the first Canadian to win the IRB Women’s Player of the Year award in 2014 and was also the recipient. Magali began his competitive career at the age of 18 at the University of St. Francis Xavier while studying Business Administration. Magali also won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games.
Katherine Merchant
Katherine Merchant is an English rugby union player. She represented England at the 2010 Women’s Rugby Championship and was also named in the squad for the 2014 FIFA Women’s Rugby World Cup. In addition, she was a member of the Rugby World Cup team. 2013 Sevens. She graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Sports Science in 2007.
Margaret Alphonsi
Margaret Alphonsi is a women’s rugby league player for England, who plays as a winger for Saracens WRFC. She was also honored as Sportswoman of the Year in the Sunday Times in 2010. Alphonsi was born in Lewisham, south London, and was born with clubfoot, a big challenge she must overcome if she wants to play American football.
She retired shortly after England won the 2014 World Cup in France and now continues to coach and holds the charge of promoting women’s participation and coaching in sports. Margeret is honored to be the 2015 World Cup Ambassador and is an ambassador for several charities and non-profits, including One Day Peace, Wooden Spoons, Sporting Equals, and SKRUM, which aim to bring to the youth of Africa hope for the future through rugby. Margaret Alphonsi is also the last player on our list today.
Conclusion
Rugby may be a sport of strength, but women’s rugby is proof that women’s players are no less than their male counterparts, but also extremely shining. Their participation in this sport is a powerful step forward for the movement for gender equality. It’s proof that women don’t fall behind in strength, stamina, or passion. So who is your favorite out of the 11 best female rugby players in the world?
